PCM Breakout box in Houston

[aggiediesel01]

I've got an intermittent shut down issue with my '97 Cali automatic. It has posted P1670 only. The Diagnostic routine suggests using the PCM Breakout to search for intermittent continuity on several circuits between the PCM and IDM. I don't have a breakout harness but would love to rent or borrow one for the next few days if someone is close to Houston where I could come pick it up. Please let me know if anyone has a lead on one, I'm not looking forward to probing these circuits with a paperclip and I'd be eternally grateful to whoever can help out.

 

[greenskeeper]

Check for water in the IDM

 

[aggiediesel01]

Yep, that was one of the first items I looked for. Unfortunately after following the diagnostic test plan and trying another known good IDM it looks like the PCM is what's flaking out. Probably just a cold solder joint on some component but it's unlikely that I'd be able to find it with my resources at home. And of course I have the unicorn PCM so my spare 49state PCM isn't much use.

DPC-312 and Cal 7-90P

 

[aggiediesel01]

I sent my PCM off to Diesel Technology of Chattanooga. They only communicate via email, which is kind of a pain, but they're really good. They stress test PCMs and IDMs and rebuild anything that's weak or not working correctly. In my case they found several problems in my PCM. The main one was a bad control signal for the IDM power circuit but they also found issues with the transmission controller and a weak power source to the main CPU that would cause a random reboot. Anyway my pocket book is a bit lighter now but it sure runs like a completely different truck. This rebuild has solved issues I've had and tried to fix with hard parts since I bought the truck 9 years ago. I'm very pleased and would recommend them to anyone else having mystery issues with 24 year old electronics. Now all my go fast stuff is actually working.

 

[Diesel D]

Hi Aggie....You say your "pocketbook is a bit lighter".....wondering the price difference between repairing or replacement (refurbished included)?

 

[aggiediesel01]

They only have one price for a repaired, tested and warrantied (3yrs) pcms. If you’re in a hurry they have all DPC codes on the shelf ready to be programmed to the best software version of your pcm. If you have some time and aren’t really sure if it’s your pcm or another problem, you can send your PCM (and chip if you have one) to be tested for $55. If they find any issue with it and you want it repaired/swapped out then the test price is credited to the price of the rebuild PCM. They also have a “round trip” shipping charge for shipping both ways for either you to send first and they send back or they send to you first and you send your core back. Does that answer your question? Their FAQ section on the site may help if this doesn’t. They also frequently buy cores at a pretty decent price so if you’ve wrecked one out of another truck they’ll credit you that towards a rebuild as well.

@Diesel D (forgot to tag you so you know I responded)

 

[Diesel D]

what I meant by replacement is that Ebay has refurbished PCMs for $169.....

 

[aggiediesel01]

I haven't seen anything close to that for my unit which is DPC-312 I have seen some rebuild and return services offered in that range but they're very short on specifics and what they might be actually doing for that price. The most common rebuild and return company listed on ebay; I looked them up on BBB and was not impressed with a bunch of recent unhappy people using their services. It probably cost me more than it could have but I don't feel I risked beating my head against a wall and filling out BBB complaint forms either.

 

[Diesel D]

good point.....peace of mind comes at a price...but it's usually worth it......